Nordstrom Rack coming to Boulevard Consumer Square

The first Upstate location for Nordstrom Rack is headed to the Boulevard Consumer Square.

The off-price retailing sibling of Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc. will occupy a 35,000-square-foot store in the expanding Town of Amherst shopping center. When the store opens in fall 2015, it will adjoin a Target store. PetSmart, which is currently located next to Target will move to another site in the Niagara Falls Boulevard mall.

“They are such an iconic brand,” said Eric Recoon, Benderson Development vice president. “Nordstrom Rack is absolutely a high-demand retailing tenant.”

Boulevard Consumer Square, owned by Benderson, is going an expansion at several of its stores. The Amherst Planning Board, in April approved more than 42,721-square-feet of store expansion space. The Nordstrom deal was separate from those expansions.

When completed, Boulevard Consumer Square will have more than 650,000-square-feet of space.

Nordstrom Rack had been scouting a number of Buffalo area sites for more than one year. The demographics and high customer volume at Boulevard Consumer Square cemented the deal.

“It’s important that we look for ways to serve our customers more conveniently and we’re excited for the opportunity to open a Nordstrom Rack in the Buffalo community,” Nordstrom Rack president Geevy Thomas said in a prepared statement.

Nordstrom Rack is the latest in high-profile, coveted retailers that Benderson has attracted to Boulevard Consumer Square. Last fall, the region’s first Trader Joe’s opened in the same plaza. Trader Joe’s sales are exceeding company projections and expectations, officials say.

“The Nordstrom name has an unparalleled reputation throughout the retail industry,” said Randy Benderson, Benderson Development president.

The store will be Nordstrom’s seventh in New York state. It’s other locations are closer to the New York City metropolitan market.

Nordstrom Rack carries a variety of clothing and other items typically found at traditional Nordstrom department stores, but with prices sliced as much as 70 percent. It also carries specially-made items from top branded clothing and apparel companies.